1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a low-water, high-efficiency system for removing contaminants from variable size animal carcasses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service requires the beef industry to use high pressure (750 psi) fluids to remove contaminates from carcasses. The use of high pressure fluids has a number of drawbacks including high water consumption and high energy requirements needed for pressurizing the water. Water usage can exceed three hundred gallons per minute (300 gpm).
Thus there is a need for a method of removing contaminants from variable size animal carcasses such as cattle while materially enhancing the quality of the environment by restoration and maintenance of water resources.
Pressurizing a large volume of water consumes substantial electrical energy.
Thus there is a need for reduction of energy consumption by the industrial equipment used to remove contaminants.
However, in view of the prior art taken as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill how the identified needs could be fulfilled.